This invention relates to weight lifting and is concerned with the reinforcement of the weight lifter's torso when under great strain. There are many variations of weight lifting wherein bar-bells are lifted, including "Bench Press", "Squat", and "Dead Lift" etc. These body building and "Power Lifting" methods are conducted as contests in order to determine lifting capability of the weight lifter, and it is especially necessary when weight lifting to reinforce the midriff with a belt or band cinched tightly to prevent rupture of the abdominal muscles. For example, the "Squat" method is performed lifting the bar-bells from a shoulder height support, the weight being taken onto the weight lifter's shoulders; the object being to lower into a squat position followed by raising and returning the bar-bells to its initial support at shoulder height. Maximum loads are moved in this manner, putting great strain on the abdominal region which must be reinforced with belly-bands and/or belts designed especially for this purpose. Accordingly, such belts are pre-stressed and must be released from time to time and during any emergency. For example, over exertion by a weight lifter can result in breathing problems, or in the event of faintness, in which case the presence of an extremely tight midriff belt can be devastating, and requiring its immediate release. Therefore, it is a general object of this invention to provide a Quick Hook-Up and Release Buckling For Weight Lifter Belts, and the like, a buckling that reinforces the midriff during lifting and which can be instantly released in case of an emergency.
During the execution of weight lifting, total or all physical energy is applied by the weight lifter and it is the abdominal midriff area of the torso between the rib cage and pelvic girdle which requires containment, as by means of a belly-band or belting. In practice, heavy leather belts or the like are strapped around the midriff and secured by buckles so as to be pulled tight, or cinched, for the application of hoop stress. A wide belt is employed and cinched tightly by a buckle located anteriorly over the abdomen, a common belt width being three to four inches and up to a half inch in thickness. Needless to say, heavy, wide and thick belting can be stiff and uncomfortable at best, since it does not readily yield to changes in contour different than its natural simple curvature, and its natural radius of curvature is greatly limited by its thickness. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide releasable anchor means in a belt buckle of the type under consideration that permits reduced belt thickness. In carrying out this invention, spaced pairs of anchor pins are selectively engaged in equally spaced pairs of bearing holes through the belt, at least one pin being hooked to the belt to prevent separation, the pin and bearing hole diameters being substantial. As a result of the anchor means herein disclosed, the belt thickness is substantially reduced so as to be much more pliable and supple and thereby more readily conformable to abdominal contour variations and/or changes.
The common belt buckle comprised of a ring or rim with a tongue engaged into a hole for fastening the ends of a strap or belt, and the like, is unsatisfactory for the purposes of belts and buckles of the type under consideration, since it is not instantaneously securable. Likewise, hooking devices that have been substituted for buckles are also unsatisfactory since they cannot ensure instant hook-up. For example, weight lifting involves extreme column pressure applied to the spine between the pelvic and pectoral girdles, and it is the abdominal portion of the torso which requires reinforcement in order to maintain an erect posture without collapse. Accordingly, belts of the type under consideration are secured only with great effort, usually requiring several muscular assistants to draw up such a belt and hold it tight while a hook-up or buckle-up is made, prior to a lifting exercise. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide for instantaneous hook-up in a weight lifter's belt buckle, or the like, and to this end we employ the toggle joint principle applied to the dead end and live ends of a stiff belt adapted to the contours of the torso of the weight lifter. The toggle principle is comprised of two members pivotally connected to opposite ends of a link, so that the joint tends to straighten into a stopped and aligned condition; an over-center condition that can be instantly applied. It is for this reason that the toggle joint as it is herein disclosed is combined with the aforementioned quick release anchor to the live end of the belt. Accordingly, the present invention involves a buckle permanently anchored to a dead end of the belt, and instantly connectable to the live end of the belt.
The common belt buckle comprised of a ring or rim with a tongue engaged into a hole for fastening the ends of a strap or belt, and the like, is unsatisfactory for the purposes of belts and buckles of the type under consideration, since it is not instantaneously releasable. Likewise, hooking devices that have been substituted for buckles are also unsatisfactory since they cannot ensure instant release. Accordingly, belts of the type under consideration are released only with great effort, usually requiring several muscular assistants to draw up such a belt and hold it tight while release is made, following a lifting exercise. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide for instantaneous release in a weight lifter's belt buckle, or the like, and to this end we employ the aforesaid toggle joint principle applied to the dead and live ends of a pliable belt, so that the straightened joint is subject to release and said alignment thereof easily broken; the over-center condition that can be instantly released. A feature is that the toggle action allows separation of the pivotal connections equal to twice the length of the link to which the two said members remain connected, and it is for this reason that the toggle joint as it is herein disclosed is combined with the aforementioned quick release anchor to the live end of the belt. Accordingly, the present invention involves a buckle permanently anchored to a dead end of the belt, and instantly separable from the live end of the belt only after the buckle has been released.
The toggle principle as it is applied by the present invention employs a second class lever that has a link that functions as a prying member between a fulcrum pin that is anchored and a draw pin that pulls the live end of the belt into a tight condition. Since the belt that is to be drawn tight is to a great extent flexible, an unexpected problem arises in the stability of the fulcrum pin that must be anchored to the dead end of the flexible belt. In practice, such an anchor will revolve out of position and thereby create a kink in the dead end portion of the belt. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a stabilizer and extending tongue portion of the belt which together prevent turning of the anchor, and namely a reinforced dead end portion that normally underlies an overlapping live end portion as it is tensioned and pulled tight.